


we're still on the side of the shooting stars

by WishingTree



Series: beyond the stars and across the multiverse [1]
Category: Runaways (TV 2017), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-24 05:26:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13206933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishingTree/pseuds/WishingTree
Summary: When Kara gets sent by the DEO to investigate a mysterious alien presence in LA, she doesn’t really know what she expects to find.A rainbow glowing teenage girl probably isn't it.





	we're still on the side of the shooting stars

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this](http://nieladasdenani.tumblr.com/post/168837725992/can-we-talk-kara-danvers-karolina-dean) genius post hurrah for alien bonding!

_“Suspected alien presence in LA, Supergirl. It’s an odd one, nothing in our databases.”_

“Already on my way,” Kara said cheerfully, altering her flight path towards the west coast as she continued listening to J’onn.

_“This signal has been on the radar several times in the last few weeks, but this is the longest stretch of time we’ve seen it appear. Remember, we don’t know who or what it is. You have to be prepared if you find yourself in a hostile situation.”_

“I got it,” Kara reassured him as she continued to fly through the night, watching the lights of a distant city on the horizon pass by. “Can you tell Alex I’ll be home late and to save me some takeout?” 

She heard him relay the message, and then, _“She says not only is she going to eat all your food, but she also isn’t going to wait for you to watch the newest episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”_

Kara laughed, knowing her sister would never do that. “Okay. Thanks, J’onn.” 

Suddenly, a bright streak of colored light cut across the darkened horizon, the sight of it pulling Kara to a stop. It faltered in its path, starting to jerk around erratically before dipping downwards at an alarming speed, and Kara headed towards it instinctively, senses on high alert.

The light crash-landed on the beach as Kara watched, sand flying everywhere, and Kara floated closer in concern, squinting down to get a better look. When she managed to spot the light through the cloud of sand, she gasped.

“It’s – it’s a girl, J’onn,” she said, “A teenager.” Past the rainbows, the girl looked just like any other average person, dressed in jeans and a jacket, and Kara’s brow furrowed in concern when she spotted the distressed look on her face.

 _“Be careful, she could still be a threat,”_ J'onn cautioned. 

“Or she could need help,” Kara countered, lifting a hand to her ear. “Okay, I’m going to go try and talk to her, I’ll call you back after. I promise if there’s trouble I’ll activate my distress signal.” 

_“Very well, Supergirl. Good luck.”_

Kara clicked off her comm and soared closer to the beach, keeping an eye on the girl, but she didn’t move from the ground, her light shining out in a brilliant display and reflecting off the waves and sand.

“Hello?” Kara called out tentatively, figuring she’d try English first before she broke out any other languages. Her cape fluttered in the wind as she lowered herself to the ground, toes landing lightly on the sand a couple feet away from the glowing girl, and she stepped forward uncertainly. “You landed pretty hard, are you alright?” 

At the sound of her voice, the girl gasped and whipped her head around, scrambling backwards in the sand with one arm outstretched defensively, her palm facing Kara. The light pulsed around her fingers, and Kara readied herself in case she was about to get blasted. The girl wasn’t shining as brightly as before, her light now flickering weakly, and her movements seemed lethargic through her panic.

“No, it’s okay!” Kara held her hands up, using her best reassuring voice, “It’s okay, I just wanted to see if you were hurt!”  

At her words, the girl stilled cautiously and stared at her with wide eyes, sitting in the sand with her other hand out behind her. Kara wasn’t going to deny that the lights shining off of her were mesmerizing, causing the sand around her to sparkle, and the scene had her itching for her paints, wondering if she could get the colors down on a canvas.

“It’s okay, I’m Supergirl. I just want to help,” Kara soothed, taking a careful step closer. “I promise I won’t hurt you.” 

Her light flickered again, and Kara grew worried at the sight. Something about the way it was dimming gave her the feeling that it wasn’t supposed to be happening like that. The girl was breathing quickly, her limbs tense, but she didn’t try to back away again, letting Kara approach. She took it as a good sign and inched forward cautiously.

“What’s your name?” Kara asked gently, kneeling down in the sand in front of the glowing girl. She stayed still, trying not to scare her any farther, and she watched as the girl appraised her quickly, clearly debating whether or not she was a threat. Her hair was wild, twisting around in the darkness in a captivating dance, and Kara tried not to stare too openly.

The sound of crashing waves was soft in the background, and Kara quickly stretched out her hearing to confirm that they were on a deserted stretch of beach. The girl’s heartbeat was too fast, and as she shifted on the sand, pressing her lips together, Kara did a quick x-ray scan to make sure she wasn’t injured.

“…Karolina,” the girl finally said hoarsely, releasing a shuddering breath just short of a sob. “I’m…” She dropped her arm and sat up properly, looking down at herself, but her face immediately crumpled inwards.

“What happened?” Kara asked, hoping her voice didn’t sound too uncertain. There had to be something going on for this girl to be so upset, to set off these powers that Kara assumed were out of her control judging by the way she was acting. Her clothes told Kara that she was from here, so if she was a refugee from another planet she hadn’t just arrived.

“Just – everything’s going to _shit_ ,” Karolina said miserably, drawing her knees up to her chest and dropping her head into her hands. “I don’t know who I am, or what’s happening, and I had to get out of there before anything else got worse, and I… oh god, I left my bracelet.”

The expression of absolute horror on Karolina’s face had Kara drawing herself up protectively, half expecting some kind of disaster to hit right then and there. Karolina curled in on herself, hiding her face and clutching her left wrist, and Kara hovered her hand over her arm.

“Your bracelet?” she asked gently, keeping one ear out for any approaching signs of life, conscious that it wouldn’t be a good idea to let this girl get discovered by some random civilians, or found by whoever she was running from.

Now that she was close enough to feel the warmth of Karolina’s light on her skin, Kara realized that she was actually emitting solar energy, the light affecting Kara just as much as the sun’s rays did. Karolina must gain her abilities by absorbing it just like Kara, and Kara wondered why it had taken her so long to figure it out, finally recognizing the younger girl as a Majesdanian from her early teachings on Krypton. She had never met one before today.

“It’s – I took off, and my phone’s dead but I need to get to my friends, and – and I don’t know where I am – ” Karolina’s voice broke, and Kara had to fight the urge to reach out and envelop her in a hug, wanting to comfort her in some way. “And I’m so _tired_ , and I just want all of this to stop…” 

Though it was hard to tell with the light shining off of her, Kara was pretty sure she recognized the dark look set deep behind her eyes.

“I need my bracelet back,” Karolina choked out, curling her hands into trembling fists. “I – I can’t control my powers without it, but I don’t…” Her breathing quickened, and Kara quickly jumped in before she could start to panic.

“Hey, it’s okay. I know where we are, and I can help you get wherever you need to go.” She lifted her head to the sky, closing her eyes and stretching out her senses. “The sun should rise in two or three hours.” 

“What – what time is it?” Karolina sniffed, wiping at her cheeks. She glittered, colors shifting with the motion, and Kara watched as her eyes tracked her own lights, clearly not used to the sight.

“It’s almost 4 am here,” Kara told her gently, lifting the hand she had placed on the ground for balance and brushing it off to clear the sand. “But you’re in luck, because we should find the sunrise around the Georgia state line, give or take a couple of miles.” 

“What?”

Kara rose to her feet, holding her hand out for Karolina. “I happen to be a very fast flier, and you need sunlight to get your energy back and replenish your powers.”

“I need – what?” After a moment’s hesitation, Karolina accepted her hand, and Kara pulled her to her feet, her concern spiking again when the girl teetered unsteadily before righting herself.

“Sunlight,” Kara tilted her head to the side, “The yellow sun’s rays, you absorb them. It’s partially why you feel so terrible, you’re out of energy.” Karolina didn't seem to know how to react, and Kara forged ahead. “First things first, are you cold?” 

“I – I don’t know, I’m just – ” 

Kara took off her cape and swung it around Karolina’s shoulders, tucking it securely around her and ignoring the beginnings of a protest that fell from her lips. “I can see you shivering there. Besides, even if you don’t actually feel the cold, a blanket can do wonders to make you feel better. Trust me, I would know.” 

Karolina blinked at her before pulling it closer around herself, and Kara nodded in satisfaction. “Here,” she fished her phone out of her boot and held it out, “Call your friends. Tell them you’re okay and that you’ll meet them in a couple hours. Ask them to go get your bracelet for you, and I’ll take you to them after we hit up somewhere sunny, let you absorb some sunlight.” 

“How… how do you know that’ll help?” she asked carefully, reaching out to accept the phone in a hesitant motion.

“You’re from Majesdane – I’m from Krypton,” Kara says, putting her hand on her chest and then glancing down at the crest, noticing that the girl hadn’t seemed to recognize it. “We both rely on solar energy for our powers, and once you get some sunlight you’ll feel loads better, I promise.” 

Karolina was staring at her with a look of complete bewilderment, face screwed up in confusion, and that was when Kara finally caught up.

“…You don’t know,” Kara said softly, realization dawning on her face. “What about – do you have a family?” 

The question seemed to strike a chord in Karolina, because she clenched her jaw and opened her mouth a few times before exhaling forcefully.

“They’re – everyone’s a _liar_ ,” Karolina bit out darkly, glaring at her hands. “My whole life, they’ve been lying to me, and I have no idea about – you’re saying I’m an… alien?”

“You’re from a planet called Majesdane,” Kara explained, “It was pretty far from my planet, but our peoples had a good relationship, from what I can remember.” 

She gave Karolina a moment to process this, and then Karolina quietly spoke, “…Had? Did something happen?” Kara stopped, her heart growing heavy, and she smiled sadly at Karolina who had somehow caught on to the distinction.

“No, as far as I know your planet should still be there,” Kara shook her head slowly, trying to swallow the emotions that the mention of her dead planet always brought up.

“So you’re an alien too then?”

Kara nodded, focusing her attention back on Karolina. “Yes. So I get how alone it can make you feel, trust me.”

Karolina stayed quiet, and Kara reached out to pick up the hand that was loosely clutching her phone. “Call your friends,” she told her quietly, “Sounds like you need them.”

Karolina glanced down and nodded, exhaling before giving Kara a half smile. “Thanks.” She swiped the phone open and dialed a number with no hesitation, lifting the phone to her ear.

“Hey, Nico, it’s me,” Karolina said softly, and Kara turned away to give her the illusion of privacy, trying to distract herself so she wouldn’t hear both sides of the conversation.

“I know, I – I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry anybody, I wanted to fly right to you, but I got a little turned around.” 

There was a pause, and Kara heard the scratch of Karolina drawing something in the sand with her foot.

“Yeah I – ran into somebody, she’s going to help me. Listen, can you do me a favour? When I took off, I was in my backyard and I just kind of… tossed my bracelet. And, well, I’m going to need that back. Would you mind going to pick it up? Or sending one of the others for it?”

There was another pause, and Kara stared out at the ocean, watching the waning light of the moon reflect off the waves.

“Okay, thanks,” Karolina said softly, and Kara tilted her head in interest, hearing something else in her voice. This Nico she was talking to meant something to her. “Yeah, I’ll let you know where to meet, it’ll probably be in a couple hours, alright? Okay. See you, Nico.” 

Kara turned around when she heard Karolina shuffling closer. “Here,” she said shyly, extending the phone back to Kara, “Thanks.” 

“Of course,” Kara smiled at her and accepted the phone, twirling it around before shoving it back into her boot. Karolina was calmer now, her heartbeat having settled while she was talking to Nico, and Kara was glad she had somebody waiting in her corner. “So, shall we? Sunrise awaits.”

Karolina shook her head. “I don’t think I can fly anymore right now,” she said hesitantly, looking down at her hands again.

“That’s okay!” Kara said brightly, wanting to move on from the heavy mood they’d inadvertently veered towards. “I can carry you. I’m much stronger than I look,” Kara laughed, waiting for Karolina to nod her permission before scooping her up into her arms. “See? Easy.”

Karolina let out a small laugh as she swung her up, holding herself awkwardly, and her lights were even more entrancing this close.

“Up, up, and away?” Kara suggested, warning her that she was about to take off, and Karolina cautiously relaxed into her arms, gripping the edges of the cape she still had wrapped around her even as exhaustion visibly weighed on her. “You’re good with flying, right? I’m assuming so, since, you know, you can also fly.”

Karolina nodded, her eyes reflecting the light coming off her hair, and Kara adjusted her grip, pushing off the ground and smoothly rising into the air. Karolina showed no signs of discomfort, so she started speeding up as she brought them higher into the air.

“You weren’t kidding about being fast,” Karolina yelled over the sound of rushing wind, and Kara grinned, not bothering to tell her about her enhanced senses. Karolina was finally smiling for the first time since Kara had met her, and she liked this look of on her.

“From what I can remember about Majesdanians, I’m pretty sure you’re fast yourself. You should test that out when you get the chance,” Kara suggested, flying in a looping pattern just to show off a little bit.

Karolina laughed self-consciously. “It’s a little harder for me to get away with flying than you, I think. I’m a little more eye-catching, what with… this.” She pulled her arm out from under Kara’s cape and held it up, swishing it from side to side and staring at the streaks of color it left behind.

“Good point,” Kara mused. She felt Karolina lean her head against her shoulder and let her rest, staying quiet as she flew them farther east. Within half an hour, the sky was starting to lighten, and Kara cradled her protectively as she lifted them both higher, above the cloud line. She felt Karolina sigh as she finally got them in range of the sun’s rays and smiled.

“Feeling better?”

“Yeah, tons,” Karolina sighed, relaxing into Kara. “You were totally right about the sunlight.”

Kara closed her eyes and tilted her head back, feeling the sun warm her skin, and they shared the quiet moment in face of the sunrise.

Eventually, Karolina stirred in her arms, pulling Kara’s cape off and holding it out for her. “Thank you for this,” she said sincerely, watching Kara reattach it to her shoulders, and she lifted herself out of her arms when she saw her struggling with only one free hand. Now floating on her own, Karolina swished her arms through the air, a smile slowly growing on her face.

“Does it feel like this for you?” Karolina asked timidly, looking down at herself before eyeing Kara curiously.

Kara took a moment to think about it. “I don’t know exactly what you’re feeling, but for me flying is… freeing.”

Karolina hummed, starting to move through the air carefully, and Kara watched as she did a lazy arcing twirl through the sky, arms stretched out with a relaxed smile blooming on her face. Letting her amuse herself, Kara floated through the air and tumbled around until Karolina’s light was shining brightly, the colors twinkling radiantly in the morning sun.

Regretfully, she figured it was probably time to return her home. “Hey, we should start heading back before morning hits LA,” Kara called out, and Karolina nodded agreeably, gliding back towards her in a graceful movement. “What do you say?” Kara grinned at her, floating upright and putting her hands on her hips. “Wanna test how fast you are?” 

Karolina’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, and Kara laughed at the enthusiastic look on her face. “Where do you want to meet your friend?”

“Can you text her to meet us in Griffith Park? I’m assuming you can tell when the coast is clear for us to land.”

Kara nodded and pulled her phone out to text the instructions to the number Karolina had dialed. “Done. So, speed test? I’d say race, but it probably isn’t a good idea for you to just blow all your energy again so soon.”

“Let’s do it,” Karolina said, eyes glinting with determination as she rubbed her hands together.

 

“Better get down there,” Kara nodded towards the ground, and she smiled when Karolina floated over to give her another hug. “I’ll keep watch from up here to make sure you’re okay, but as a general rule it’s best that I don’t get sighted outside of National City unless there’s an emergency.”

Karolina nodded, biting her lip, and then her light was surging towards Kara as she threw her arms around her again and hugged her tightly.

“Thank you,” she whispered, giving Kara one last look before she turned away and flew down. There was an anxious girl waiting for her, and as soon as Karolina’s feet touched the ground she was tackled in a hug.

Kara smiled as Karolina laughed, wrapping her arms around the other girl and nuzzling her face into her hair.

“I’m okay Nico, I promise.”

Nico pulled away and scowled at her, and then punched her in the shoulder. “Don’t you _ever_ do that again, you hear me?” she demanded, and Kara stifled a laugh when Karolina tried to placate her. Eventually, Nico pulled a silver band out of her pocket and clicked it open, holding it out for Karolina. As soon as it was attached around her wrist, the lights faded to nothing, and Kara blinked rapidly to get the spots out of her eyes.

Without the lights, Karolina had blonde hair and gentle blue eyes, and Kara watched as Nico frantically looked her over, keeping her hands on her arms. Karolina was smiling affectionately at her, and seeing the two of them together only confirmed Kara’s suspicions that there was something between them.

Finally satisfied, Nico exhaled and let herself relax. “God, I’m exhausted, and you must be too. We’ll go take a nap, and then get to Timely’s by 11 to meet the others, how does that sound?”

Karolina murmured something in response, and then they both moved towards the car parked on the road a few feet away. Kara was glad to see Karolina’s pace was steady, not showing any signs of the shakiness from before.

They drove out of the park, and Kara followed the car through the city until it pulled into the driveway of a Brentwood home, finally veering off and flying back towards National City when she saw them sneak inside arm in arm.

 

 

 

“Hey, I’m just going to go to the bathroom real quick, can you get us our coffee?” Nico asked over the sounds of the bustling coffee shop, laying her hand on Karolina’s arm.

“Sure,” Karolina agreed easily, stepping towards the line and giving Nico a smile. Nico squeezed her arm in thanks before disappearing down the hall to Timely’s one functional bathroom, and Karolina consciously told herself not to watch her go. The line moved surprisingly quickly, and Karolina had two coffees in her hands in no time. 

Seeing as the others weren’t there yet, Karolina went to wait by the door, next to the wide windows so she could stand in the sunshine. She hadn’t realized it before, but Supergirl had been completely right – she had always felt energized while in direct sunlight, even when she had been sick or everyone else was melting in the oppressive heat.

This position also gave her the perfect vantage point to people watch, being off to the side and out of the way of the entrance. Timely was as busy as it ever was, mostly full of high school and college students crowding around the tables, and it was easy for Karolina to pass the time.

Next to her, a young woman in glasses and a ponytail pushed through the doors, phone wedged between her ear and her shoulder as she dug through her bag.

“Alex, relax,” she said around the croissant she had stuffed in her mouth, “I’m not going to give anything up, I’m just checking on her! I want to make sure she’s okay after last night.”

She looked vaguely familiar, but Karolina brushed it off and shifted her weight to her other foot, turning to lean her back against the windowsill. Unfortunately, that was the exact moment that she was jostled by a burly teen in a letterman jacket, causing her to stumble forwards and collide with the woman, and the two coffees burst open to spill all over her. Karolina gasped as the hot liquid splashed onto her hand, but most of it landed on the other woman.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed, hands fluttering uselessly as she tried to figure out how to help, hurriedly setting the now empty coffee cups on the windowsill.

The woman blinked behind her glasses, taking a second too long to flinch at the hot coffee. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about me, it’s not even that hot! I’m totally fine,” she said reassuringly, wiping her arms off on her coffee soaked cardigan. Something about the motion made her seem even more familiar, and it clicked into place when she lifted her head and smiled at her. “Are you okay?”

“You… You’re…” Karolina stared at her with wide eyes, unintentionally ignoring the question. “You’re… I know you! You’re here!”

Supergirl stilled, a deer in headlights look blooming on her face as she let out a high-pitched laugh. “What? I don’t – sorry, you must be mistaking me for somebody else. You know, I have been told I have one of those faces…”

“Come on, don’t make me say it,” Karolina whispered, glancing around at the other people milling around in the coffee shop. “From last night, it’s you. You helped me.”  

Supergirl scoffed again, an exaggerated expression of incredulousness on her face. “Pfft, no, that's not – that would be… I don’t even know you, and…”

Karolina raised an eyebrow at her, and Supergirl sighed and let her head fall back in defeat. “Oh god, my sister’s going to kill me. Well,” she drew herself up and gave Karolina a resigned grin, adjusting her glasses. “I’m Kara, and it is very nice to meet you. Again.” 

Karolina grinned, bouncing on her toes and forgetting about the spilled coffee. “Thank you again, for helping me. I seriously don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up,” Karolina told her fervently, a grateful smile on her face.

“I’m just glad it all worked out.” Kara shook off her hands one last time and gave her a comforting smile. “Bracelet still doing it’s job?” Kara nodded at her wrist, and Karolina instinctively touched her fingers to it, smoothing the pads of her fingers over the cool metal.

“Yeah, crisis averted.”

“Good,” Kara nodded, and Karolina tried to think of something to say to avoid the lull in the conversation. Luckily, Kara saved her once again, offering, “Hey, I don’t know very much about you planet, but I can probably still answer a couple questions if you have them. I think you deserve some answers.”

“You mean you’ll come back to visit?” Karolina perked up, eyes shining. Finding another alien almost like her was indescribably comforting, something she hadn’t even realized she wanted. “You can tell me about – Majesdane? What about your planet?” Karolina whispered excitedly, but she faltered when something passed over Kara’s face, her eyes dimming into something broken.

It was gone before Karolina could blink, and then Kara was smiling again, pulling Karolina into a hug. “I’d be happy to. And I promise, you’re going to be okay,” Kara murmured, and when she pulled away and smiled at her, Karolina knew why people trusted her to be their superhero.

“And hey, maybe I’ll see you around too!” Kara said, something mischievous shining in her eyes, “We can get a real race in, teach you some basics while we’re at it.”

“You really mean it?” Karolina asked in wonder, astonished at the possibility of having someone who could help her with her powers.

“Of course,” Kara said warmly, pulling her phone out of her purse and handing it to Karolina, “Put your number in there, I’ll get in touch. I think I know a place you can light up safely.”

Karolina did as she said, passing it back to her, and Kara pocketed it with a smile on her face. “Okay, well, I gotta head home now. I need to change before getting to work!” she plucked at her coffee-soaked cardigan, and Karolina flushed.

“I, ah, I really am sorry, can – ”

Kara waved her off, shaking her head and backing away. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. I’m glad to see you’re okay!”

She grinned and shot her a thumbs up as she shouldered the door open, and Karolina laughed, waving in return.

“Who was that?” Nico said curiously, appearing at her side, and Karolina kept smiling at Kara’s retreating figure. Kara turned around as she reached the storefronts across the street, waving as if she knew Karolina was still watching her, and Karolina thought she saw her wink before she slipped into an alleyway between two buildings.

“Just… a new friend I made, I think,” Karolina said, smiling. As she was about to turn away, a streak of blue and red shot out of the alley towards the sky, and Karolina watched her go with wonder in her eyes. “You’ll never guess who she is.”

 


End file.
